takeaway
B2Neutral to Informal
Definition
Meaning
A key point or conclusion to be remembered from something, often a lesson or discussion; in British usage, it is also a restaurant meal prepared to be eaten elsewhere.
In business and education: the main insight or piece of information gained from an event, meeting, or presentation. In food service: a meal purchased from a restaurant but consumed off the premises (UK). In sports (chiefly US): an instance of taking the ball or puck away from an opposing team.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
The 'insight' meaning is metaphorical, deriving from the idea of 'carrying away knowledge'. As a noun, it can be spelled as one word ('takeaway') or hyphenated ('take-away'); the solid form is increasingly dominant, especially for the non-food 'insight' meaning.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
In the UK, 'takeaway' primarily refers to food purchased to be eaten elsewhere. In the US, the equivalent term is 'takeout' or 'to-go'. The 'main lesson/point' meaning is understood and used in both, but is arguably more frequent in American professional/educational contexts. The US also uses 'takeaway' in sports (e.g., a defensive takeaway in American football).
Connotations
In the UK, it has a strong casual/food connotation. In the US, the food connotation is weaker, giving the 'insight' meaning more prominence in general usage.
Frequency
The food meaning is extremely high-frequency in the UK. The 'insight' meaning is moderately frequent in US business/educational contexts and is gaining traction in the UK in similar spheres.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
The [main] takeaway from [noun phrase/event] is that...[To get/have] a [adjective] takeaway[To order/pick up] a takeawayVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “That's the takeaway.”
- “What's your takeaway from all this?”
- “The takeaways from the seminar were clear.”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
"The key takeaway from the quarterly report is that we need to diversify our investments."
Academic
"The central takeaway of the study was that early intervention yields long-term benefits."
Everyday
"We're too tired to cook; let's just get a takeaway." (UK) / "My takeaway from the movie is that family is everything."
Technical
"The algorithm's primary takeaway was the identification of a previously unknown correlation."
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- (Not standard for the 'insight' meaning) They will take away our parking spaces next month.
- (Food context) I'm going to take away a curry.
American English
- (Not standard for the 'insight' meaning) The new policy could take away certain benefits.
- (Sports) The defender managed to take away the ball cleanly.
adverb
British English
- (Rare/Non-standard) We ate takeaway.
American English
- (Rare/Non-standard) He bought it takeaway.
adjective
British English
- We ate from takeaway containers.
- She works in a takeaway pizza shop.
American English
- (Less common) The coach emphasized takeaway drills in practice.
- We got takeaway coffee.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- Let's get a takeaway for dinner tonight.
- The takeaway food was very tasty.
- My main takeaway from the talk was to be more organised.
- We ordered a Chinese takeaway.
- The consultant outlined three major takeaways for the company to act upon.
- Despite the lengthy debate, the clear takeaway was a need for more funding.
- A sobering takeaway from the climate data is the accelerating rate of change.
- Her analysis provided several nuanced takeaways that challenged conventional wisdom.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a meeting: you 'take' ideas 'away' with you. For food: you 'take' the food 'away' from the restaurant.
Conceptual Metaphor
KNOWLEDGE/IDEAS ARE OBJECTS THAT CAN BE CARRIED (You *take away* an insight from a lecture).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid direct translation. The 'insight' meaning is not 'вынос' (which is the physical act of carrying out). For the food meaning, UK 'takeaway' is closer to 'еда навынос' or specific terms like 'доставка еды' (delivery). The 'insight' meaning is best translated as 'главный вывод', 'ключевой момент', 'основная мысль'.
Common Mistakes
- Using 'takeaway' as a verb in the 'insight' sense (e.g., 'I takeaway that...' is incorrect; use 'I gather that...' or 'My takeaway is that...'). Confusing the countable noun (a key takeaway) with an uncountable concept.
Practice
Quiz
In which context would a British English speaker MOST LIKELY use the word 'takeaway'?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
The 'insight' meaning is acceptable in professional and semi-formal contexts (e.g., business meetings, presentations). The food meaning is informal.
They are synonyms for food bought to be eaten elsewhere, but 'takeaway' is standard in British English, while 'takeout' is standard in American English. 'Takeaway' for an 'insight' is used in both varieties.
Yes, for the 'insight' meaning. E.g., 'Here are my three takeaways from the conference.' For food, it's usually singular ('a takeaway') or used attributively ('takeaway meals').
No, this is a common mistake. 'Takeaway' as an 'insight' is a noun. The correct phrasing is 'What was your takeaway?' or 'What did you take away?' (as a phrasal verb, meaning 'What did you understand?').